Tithi from New Jersey said: I have been a vegetarian my whole life, but only last year did I realize the biggest advantage vegetarians have: we can grow our own food. I started growing my food last year and have been actively involved in sharing my passion with friends and family alike. Now, they love it too! Vegetarianism and vegetarian food are often deemed as boring when that is simply not true; the benefits of vegetarianism exist not only for the animals that you save but also for you–from eating cleaner and saving money to getting to bond with your family while you can grow your own food. Here, I become “Brocco Lee” and show the power of vegetarianism. See her video at https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php#tihimehta

See other videos here: https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

The deadline for The Vegetarian Resource Group’s next video contest is July 15, 2023. See: https://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

Nothing beats a simple graphic to get the vegan message out! The Vegetarian Resource Group created My Vegan Plate to display on outreach tables at various events. If you live in the United States, you can request copies of this handout to distribute by emailing us at [email protected]

You can view the handout here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf

This same handout can also be read in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/images/miplatovegano.jpg

We also have a version you can print out for kids to color on: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlateCP.pdf

Donations towards this outreach are always appreciated: www.vrg.org/donate

Have you ever noticed how many different types of rice there are? Chef Nancy Berkoff’s article The Long and Short of It – Meet Red, Black, Green, Gold, and Purple Rice! explains what the differences are and how to prepare vegan dishes using a variety of rice. Enjoy Sofrito with Carolina Gold Rice; Spanakorizo; Walnut & Wild Rice Salad; Cashew Coconut Purple Rice; Green Herbed Pilaf; Mango Sticky Rice; and Red Rice Pilaf.

Find the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue2/2021_issue2_long_short_of_it.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

A perfect easy dessert or brunch dish to share! This simple recipe by Leslie Gray Streeter will come together in a snap and please any crowd. Toss together chopped apples (or pears) with seasonings and an oatmeal crumb topping. Everything goes on one sheet pan and into the oven. For a decadent treat, serve with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!

Go to: https://youtu.be/WAQ6pPsqMnI

Dining Services at University of Maryland College Park has made it easy to find out what is vegan. Menus from each dining hall are posted two weeks in advance at nutrition.umd.edu  You can set filters to find out what is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free etc. The choices for one sample vegan breakfast included: (Vegan) Chicken Breakfast Tacos, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and Carrots, Vegan Breakfast Sausage, Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancake, Vegan Cinnamon Apple Barley Pudding, Vegan Cream Cheese, Vegan Sour Cream, Vegan Vanilla Soy Yogurt, Hash Brown Patty, Grits, Oatmeal, Blueberry Compote, Earth Balance Soy Free Spread, and Vegan Pancake.

Take a look at other meals at  https://nutrition.umd.edu/

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Recent topics brought up include:

– How to easily find vegan options in UMD dining halls

– Vegetarian hosts being sought for veggie foreign exchange students

– Vegan books for children

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Phytosterols, also called plant sterols, are substances found naturally in plants that have a chemical structure similar to cholesterol. When we eat plants, we also consume the phytosterols that are found in those plants. Phytosterols are not well absorbed by humans because their structure is different from cholesterol which is more readily absorbed.

Studies involving human subjects fed people 1 to 2 grams of phytosterols a day, an amount higher than most people get from foods. The subjects experienced, on average, a 10% reduction in total cholesterol and in LDL-cholesterol (1, 2). This reduction in cholesterol has been attributed to reduced cholesterol absorption. Even if your diet is free of cholesterol, you still absorb, or more accurately, reabsorb cholesterol that your body produces. If you reabsorb less of this recycled cholesterol because you’re eating plant sterols, your body has less cholesterol to deal with.

Vegans and lacto-ovo vegetarians have higher intakes of phytosterols than do nonvegetarians, on average (3).  Corn oil and canola oil are especially good sources of phytosterols, supplying about 0.1 gram per Tablespoon. Pistachios, cashews, soybeans, and almonds are other foods that contain generous amounts of phytosterols, although other fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains also supply phytosterols (4). Food companies have added phytosterols to foods including margarine, mayonnaise, orange juice, and yogurt, although most of these products are not vegan or are not widely available. Phytosterols may help to explain why vegans and vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease.

References

1. Andersson SW, Skinner J, Ellegård L, et al. Intake of dietary plant sterols is inversely related to serum cholesterol concentration in men and women in the EPIC Norfolk population: a cross-sectional study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;58(10):1378-1385.
2. Klingberg S, Ellegård L, Johansson I, et al. Inverse relation between dietary intake of naturally occurring plant sterols and serum cholesterol in northern Sweden. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87(4):993-1001.
3. Jaceldo-Siegl K, Lütjohann D, Sirirat R, Mashchak A, Fraser GE, Haddad E. Variations in dietary intake and plasma concentrations of plant sterols across plant-based diets among North American adults. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017;61(8):10.1002/mnfr.201600828.
4. Linus Pauling Institute. Micronutrient Information Center. Phytosterols. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/phytosterols. Updated, 2017

Plant-based meatball subs are now available at Lion’s Choice restaurants in the St. Louis and Kansas City area. You can order this item without the cheese. For more information, see

https://lionschoice.com/vegetarian

https://lionschoice.com/locations (Locations)

For information about other chains, see https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

For information about veg restaurants in the USA and Canada, go to https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Hey there! I wanted to show you how we have your magazines displayed in our little shop. They are very popular! Thank you! -Chris

Photo from Nori

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

Bang Up to the Elephant, 1310 N. Pearl St., Denver, CO 80203

Apparently, Bang Up to the Elephant is Victorian slang for “properly-done.” Happily, humor seems to be a key ingredient in their service and philosophy. If you opt not to dine on their patio, you can still enjoy the taste of relaxation in a lush, tropical garden, basking in blue-green lighting like sea and sky, listening to water flow over a tiered fountain. Plantains, mango, salsas, slaws, papaya, coconut (in various incarnations), jackfruit, mojos, curries, jerk seasoning, and “tangy” cassareep sauce made from cassava root grace their cuisine with the spiced, tropical taste of a West Indian beach vacation. For starters, there’s Potato & Plantain Mofongo served over tomato rum sauce, or “House-made,” Curried Waffle Fries with pickled onions, tamarind sauce, and fresh herbs to note a couple. Besides dinner sandwiches and plenty of sides, such as Coconut milk bread, baked with raisins and toasted coconut, there are (Plates & Bowls) featuring A “House-made” Coconut Curry of chickpeas with jackfruit or tofu, served over coconut rice, with cornbread. Finally, enjoy a wide variety of beverages and varied desserts. Located in the Capitol Hill section, Bang Up to the Elephant is “A 2-min walk from The Molly Brown House,” close to many other museums and shopping.

Caribbean Style Vegan, Ninth Square Market Too, 89 George St. New Haven, CT 06510

Small eatery serving flavorful, home-cooked, healthy Jamaican-style meals inspired by Rastafarian beliefs. Order a small, medium or large combo plate online, choosing your selection from a wide array of proteins and veggie sides like jerk tofu, plantains, stewed eggplant, curried chickpeas, and of course rice and peas. You can also get veggie or beyond meat patties, or get the different veggie sides independently, and can top it off with desserts like Gizzada cake – a tart crust pastry filled with a coconut ginger spiced filling.  Gluten- and soy-free items are clearly marked.

Coffee and Plants, 62 W. Union St., Pasadena, CA 91103

Their mission is “to help the planet one cup at a time!” Enjoy a wide variety of coffee and tea, as well as muffins, croissant, danish, cookies, pie, and more. They also offer an avocado sandwich and JustEgg coconut bacon sandwich during breakfast and lunch.

Frosty’s, 13343 Madison Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107

Frosty’s offers vegan softserve ice cream, cake, and coffee. Enjoy baked goods such as brownies, cinnamon buns, cupcakes, cookies, and more.

Garden Carver, 187 Grand St., Brooklyn, NY 11211

Both a neighborhood plant-based butcher shop offering vegan versions of deli cuts, pulled pork, take-home packages for meat to grill at home and charcuterie boards etc., from a growing list of both small local companies and larger brands, and a diner offering coffee (or beer/wine in the evenings) with comfort food such as breakfast burgers, sandwiches, and pastries. Sit in the bright, simple, flower-filled interior or at picnic benches outside and enjoy a lavender latte with homemade syrup alongside a croissant for breakfast, then stay sitting with your laptop all day, eating spicy rigatoni or a meatball sub for lunch, and French bread pizza with wine for dinner.

Nori, Austin, 3208 Guadalupe St., Ste. B, TX 78705

The artfulness and delicacy of Japanese cuisine are enhanced at Nori by the fact that everything is vegan, with many gluten-free options. Maintaining a plant-based kitchen, however, has certainly not limited the variety of menu offerings: celebrating vegetables and using meat replacements at times, Nori serve diners dishes such as the tempura appetizer, perhaps followed by the Nigiri sampler; a Volcano or Rainbow maki; or a Spicy Creamy Ramen. The cocktails are also works of art, and you can continue to imbibe with the peanut butter dessert shake made with screwball bourbon and candied peanuts—or else opt for the virgin Lava Cake served with fresh raspberries.

Plant Slayer, 2405 Capitol St. #101, Fresno, CA 93721

Plant Slayer serves vegan comfort food including cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and fries. Popular burgers and sandwiches include the campfire burger made with plant-based beef, bacon, cheese, and onion rings served on a pretzel bun and the dipped chicken sandwich served with either BBQ or buffalo sauce on a brioche bun. Their animal fries are smothered in a sauce made with Thousand Island dressing, American cheese, and grilled onions. Ice cream and milkshakes are made with cassava-based ice cream and include specialty milkshakes and root beer floats.

Urban Vegan Roots, The World Artisan Market, 34-39 31st St., Astoria, NY 11106

Located between 34th and 35th Avenue in Astoria, Queens, Urban Vegan Roots offers American soul food and Latin inspired vegan cuisine. Sample dishes include crispy Brussels Sprouts, Mushroom Empanada, Fried Green Tomatoes, Citrus Salad, Chick-un & Waffles, Margherita Pizza, desserts, and more.